


Sometimes a Girlfriend is Better Than a Boyfriend

by TheCollegeBoard



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bisexual Archie Andrews, Bisexual Veronica Lodge, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Lesbian Betty Cooper, M/M, Reggie Mantle Not Being an Asshole, Riverdale High School, Rivergayle, Soft Reggie Mantle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25743829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCollegeBoard/pseuds/TheCollegeBoard
Summary: In episode 2 of season 1, Veronica gets the line "my mom says sometimes a friend is better than a boyfriend." Could and should have been way gayer, here ya go!The gang is at the annual Homecoming dance. I'm thinking they're sophomores in this one.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Reggie Mantle, Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Sometimes a Girlfriend is Better Than a Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Category is... Homecoming at Riverdale high minus the comphet.  
> Homocoming?   
> It's your annual dose of beronica and rarchie fluff.

Veronica swayed with Archie, rocking side to side as a slow, sappy song played just a little too loudly from the speakers. Archie couldn’t take his eyes off of Veronica. She couldn’t bring hers to meet him. She felt his hands press on the small of her back and she tried not to jolt, shrinking away from his grip.

“You having fun, Ronnie?”

“Mhmm.” Veronica gave a weak smile back at him, nodding, then looking away, searching the rest of the dancefloor for Betty and Jughead. 

She felt guilty. She told Archie she’d go to the homecoming dance with him, but Veronica couldn’t bring herself to enjoy this at all. She knew Archie wanted something more from this, and she thought she did too, but the attraction she felt towards him, like those seven minutes in heaven and those early moments when they both met up after practice and just became infatuated with eachother over walks back home and chats on benches, it had all started to fade, being replaced by something much more tame. Yeah, she could imagine herself going out to the movies with Archie, but only if they were accompanied by Jug and Betty. She spotted Jughead standing by the punch bowl, but couldn’t manage to find Betty. She felt a light tap on her shoulder, swiveling her head towards it, only to find empty space. Betty stood on the opposite side, impressed at herself pulling the oldest trick in the book on Veronica.

“Sorry to interrupt you two, but do you mind if I borrow Veronica, Arch?” 

Archie looked back at Veronica before resting a hand on his hip, and the other on his chin, feigning deep thought. “Well… I was having a wonderful evening with this young lady right here.” He pointed at Veronica. Veronica huffed, rolling her eyes. 

“God, you are way too corny sometimes, Archie.” She chuckled.

Archie jolted away, stepping back and clutching his chest in pain. “Ronnie, Betty, help!”

Veronica dropped to the floor, pulling Archie up and throwing his arm over her shoulder. “Jesus, Archie, are you alright?!”

Jughead strolled by. “Give him a second.” He managed to get the words through a mouthful of cupcake.

Archie winced for a moment, propping himself back up. “Yeah, I’m good, everything’s fine, it’s just that”— He looked Veronica in the eye— “Words hurt, Ronnie.” He said with a smirk.

“You gave me a fucking heart attack!” Veronica gave him a shove on the arm.

“Like the one I just had?” Archie laughed

“I’m gonna remember this when you’re on your deathbed, Andrews.” Veronica poked him in the chest.

“Hey, that’s gonna be pretty soon if you don’t start being any nicer!” Archie pointed at her. 

“Let’s hope not though!” Betty cut in with a toothy smile. She grabbed Veronica’s hand, tugging lightly and leading away from the group. 

Veronica felt her heartbeat quicken, Betty’s hand on hers was like a shock to her system. Suddenly she had tunnel vision, nothing else mattered and it wasn’t like she could even handle thinking about anything else. She watched as Betty turned around to say something to her, and all she could do was quickly nod and smile, because _boy_ did she need a moment to take in everything happening right now. Between the way Betty's hair just seemed to effortlessly fall to her side, the flashing lights on the dance floor, The way Betty’s dress showed off how cute she was while also showing off the biceps she usually hid away with long sleeved shirts and sweaters.... And the thumping of the speakers that made it hard for her to think about anything else (that was definitely it). 

Honestly though, she paused, what the hell _was_ happening? It wasn’t like her to be so off her guard, especially at an event like the homecoming dance, a place where anything could happen, and an audience was ready to watch. This was Riverdale, after all. There were appearances to keep, people to impress, and all she could do was think about how pretty Betty Cooper looked. She felt her cheeks get warm, and was immediately thankful that all of the reds, blues, and purples of the dance floor’s lights hid her blushing. 

“Hey! Don’t be gone too long!” Archie called out to Betty and Veronica as the two made their way further from him and Jughead..

“Yeah, sure thing, dad.” Betty mumbled to Veronica before rolling her eyes. Veronica snorted. Betty’s grip on her hand tightened. Veronica felt her heart thump against her chest. The two kept going, making their way out of the gymnasium.

“Well, thanks for saving me from dancing with Archie for the entire night, but where are we actually headed, anyways?” Veronica asked as the two walked down the school’s hallways. 

“Uh,” Betty looked up, trying to think. “Well, I forgot something in homeroom that I needed to finish my homework, so... I thought you might want to come with me and check for it!” Betty sounded surprised by the words coming out of her own mouth.. 

“Uh huh.” Veronica grinned. “you’re pretty bad at bluffing, you know that, right?” 

“Well I guess the excuse never mattered, because you sure do look happy to be tagging alongside me right now.” Betty raised her eyebrows.

A terrible liar, but Betty Cooper was still the most astute person Veronica knew. She was at a loss for words, then she felt Betty's fingers trace her palm. The two looked at eachother for a moment. It was moments like this that she really hoped Betty wasn’t just trying to be a really good friend. This was it, the excitement, the electricity that she craved, that she just couldn’t feel with Archie.

Betty looked back ahead as they made their way to the end of a hallway. She tried to open a door to a classroom, but the doorknob wouldn’t budge. 

“How do you expect us to —” Veronica started, but Betty had already worked a bobby pin and paperclip into the lock, jostling them around and turning the knob. The door clicked open. Veronica put a hand on her hip. “—and where’d you keep those?” 

Betty tapped the bracelet sitting on her wrist. “Gotta be prepared.” She shrugged, walking into the room. Veronica shook her head, letting out a laugh.

Veronica stood back for a moment, watching Betty step inside, The ruffled edges of her dress knocked against the seats of the chairs that none of their classmates had pushed back into their desks. Betty paced over to her desk, kneeling down and searching inside of its supply holder, under the seat, and looking around. She looked up to see that Veronica hadn’t set foot into the classroom. 

“What’s wrong? Get in here already!” she motioned over before continuing. “You don’t want a janitor or someone to catch us loitering around.” 

Veronica breathed in, looking up for a moment. _Here we go_ , she thought to herself. She stepped inside. The only light coming into the room was from the moon. The way Betty’s hair caught the ribbons of moonlight, complimenting the light green of her eyes, it made her almost too pretty to look at. As they locked eyes, Veronica closed the door behind herself, slowly stepping forward. 

“So, really, what’s that thing you had to come all the way back to homeroom to find?”

Betty stood up, brushing her dress off. Veronica strode up slowly to her. She was so nervous that she almost felt calm. She watched Betty’s posture straighten. Veronica, stepping up to her, maintained her eye contact. She always felt like she had a clue about Betty. She thought about what it would be like to ask her on a date, to walk up to her and kiss her, but this was the real thing. There was no going back, and if she was wrong about what she thought she felt with Betty...

“Remember, there _is_ a right answer.” Veronica tried not to sound nervous while she prodded for a response..

Betty draped her hands around Veronica’s shoulders, circling a finger through one of the curls of Veronica’s hair. “You, obviously.”

Veronica could feel herself melt around Betty’s hands. She stood up on her toes, bringing her hands to Betty’s cheeks and gently pulling her in. Betty closed the distance, meeting her with a kiss. Veronica felt like she could be lost in this moment forever.

Betty broke away for a moment. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.”

“I’ve got an idea.” Veronica smirked. She wanted Betty to know without ever having to be told, just how long she’d had her eyes on her. Betty rested her hands on Veronica’s cheeks before pulling her in for another kiss. 

Veronica’s hands made their way to the small of Betty’s back as she leaned backwards, pulling the two on top of Betty’s desk. Veronica took the lead, painting Betty’s cheeks with kisses. All this time they’d spent as friends, she’d watched Betty deal with so much, so quickly. Veronica wanted to be her comfort.

Betty put a hand behind Veronica’s head, the other behind her leg. As the two started to make out, Betty placed one of her thighs between Veronica’s legs. Veronica took the cue to go further, letting her. Before the two could keep going, Veronica slipped off the edge of the desk, Betty’s arms wrapped around her, breaking her fall and hoisting her up. 

“Holy shit.” Veronica laughed, feeling her head rest around Betty’s biceps. She wrapped her legs around Betty’s waist. 

“Almost lost ya for a moment there.” Betty smiled.

***

“So you lost both of the ladies?” Jughead picked up a cupcake from the gigantic spread of party food in the gymnasium.

“It happened so fast, I barely realized that my date was gone for the rest of the night.”

“Well, tough titties, Arch.” Jughead watched Archie start to slouch, as he looked at the ground. “However.” Jughead said. Archie picked his head up like a golden retriever after hearing someone mention a walk. “Mr. Mantle’s been eyeing you for a while, now that you’re alone.” Jughead pointed right at Reggie, who was leaning across the bleachers next to Dilton Doiley and staring straight at Archie. Once he realized he’d been spotted, Reggie’s gaze shifted with haste.

“You’re kidding.” Archie laughed at Jughead. Reggie took a sip from a flask, offering some to Dilton without even looking at him. Once Dilton took a swig, Reggie slipped the flask back into the pocket of his blazer. Archie turned to Jughead in disbelief, then looked back at Reggie, who’s gaze came back to Archie, unflinching this time. Reggie kicked off from the bleacher. He gave Dilton a pat on the shoulder before making his way towards Archie and Jughead.

Archie felt himself start to panic. It was that chaotic wave of emotion when all control had certainly been lost and all you had to rely on was instinct. And Archie didn’t have great instincts, as reluctant as he was to admit it most of the time.

“So,” Jug looked archie in the eye. “you’re gonna tell me you haven’t been crushing on that doofus for these last couple months? At all?”

“Jug, it doesn’t matter. He’s _Reggie Mantle,_ There’s a laundry list of reasons that I can’t!” 

There really were. What were the bulldogs going to say? Not just that neither of the football team’s co-captains were straight, but also about the fact that they just so happened to be into eachother? He already could hear the jokes about the extra practice hours they spent together. Jug was accepting, but what about Betty and Veronica? Were they going to start seeing him the way they saw Kevin Keller? Was that even so bad? He didn’t want to lose the type of relationship he already had with them. And what about Fred? Archie was sure His dad would be supportive of him coming out, but the town delinquent was gonna be a hard sell. Archie’s head was like a bee’s nest, buzzing with thoughts.

“Oh, but you can.” Jughead cut off Archie’s train of thought. He took a sip of punch while pushing Archie forward with his other hand.

Archie stumbled onto the dance floor, looking back like a lost puppy. The scent of cinnamon and smoky wood wafted towards him and he turned back, almost bumping into Reggie’s chest. “You smell good.” Archie blurted out. “Did I say that out loud?” Archie felt his cheeks warming up. 

“You did, Andrews.” Reggie chuckled with a nod. 

“Crap.”

“Don’t sweat it, red. I put in some effort. It’s good to know that it’s going noticed, right?”

“Oh.” Archie’s heart was galloping, he felt like he drank two coffees and then threw in a couple of redbulls right before stepping onto the dancefloor. He tried to form the words. “Well-d”—

—“So you wanna dance, or...?” Reggie shrugged, throwing his hands up.

“Yup! Yes, thanks!” Archie was tumbling over his own words as he watched Reggie raise an eyebrow. He breathed in for a moment, trying to stay calm. 

“You’re gonna do fine.” Reggie laughed. He reached out and Archie took his hand. The two started to sway with the music, and Archie felt himself getting closer and closer to Reggie’s body. Reggie put a hand behind Archie’s neck, and Archie gave in to the comfort, resting his head on Reggie’s chest. They kept swaying, turning slowly. Archie caught a glimpse of Jughead, who Archie could have sworn was sleeping standing up, if it weren’t for the thumbs up that Jughead had pointed his way, making him laugh.”

“What’re you looking at, red?”

“Nothing.” He giggled before looking up into Reggie's eyes.. “By the way...”

“Yeah?”

“...It’s stupid, don’t worry about it.”

“Out with it already.”

“You’re comfy.”

“You’re goddamn right I am.” Reggie said with a smirk.

***

Holding eachother, listening to the faint echoes of the music from the gymnasium, Veronica pulled Betty close again, holding her face for a moment and looking into her eyes.

Even if it was in the cramped and uncomfortable Riverdale high classrooms, having this moment together, alone, it was nice. Not at all how Veronica had imagined their first kiss and everything after to happen, but it felt right. 

While Veronica was lost in thought, Betty took the moment to lean in and kiss her on the cheek. 

“Flattered to know that you just can’t stop kissing me.” Veronica laughed.

“Hey,” Betty pointed her finger at Veronica’s cheek. “It’s a very kissable face.” the two kept laughing, taking in the rest of the moment before an announcement blared across the speaker. 

***ALRIGHT RIVERDALE HIGH, WE’VE GOT 3 MORE SONGS LEFT, SO GET YOUR LAST DANCES IN!***

“Shit.” Betty froze, biting her lip as she started to hesitate.

“You want to finish the dance with everyone out there, don’t you?” Veronica looked at Betty with adoration.

“Is that totally corny of me?” Betty laughed.

“Not at all.” Veronica got up and returned the previous favor by planting a kiss on Betty's cheek before taking her by the hand. They ran down the hallway. As the pair made their way onto the dance floor, they settled into a sway, Betty held Veronica in her arms, and Veronica draped hers over Betty's shoulders.

“Thanks for making tonight so amazing..” Veronica whispered.

“I think you’re the one to thank.” Betty smiled.

“Would you be ok if I kissed you in front of everyone here?”

“You sure we’re not gonna hurt Archie’s feelings?”

“He and I were never really dating, just kinda flirting. Plus...” Veronica pointed behind Betty, who turned her head to see Archie and Reggie sharing a kiss. “I think he’s gonna be just fine.” Betty turned back, and Veronica surprised her with a peck on her cheek before moving to her lips. They swayed to the music, Letting the dance come to a close. 

Betty hugged her. “I’m so glad you moved here.”

“Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe I've had this fic as a wip as far back as march this year? I got inspired to write this when i was reading the Archie 2017 comics and they gave us all the good beronica kindling without any of the darn payoff. And then I started rewatching season one of riverdale (the good old days) and was compelled to finish editing this. Here's to impulse posting at 3am after months of wondering if my writing is any good!

**Author's Note:**

> It took me a lot longer to write this one than i thought it would, so here's to not knowing when the next part will be out! I'm excited to get to writing it though!


End file.
